I was deeply moved twice during the opening program for the Parliament of the World’s Religions. I have already mentioned the sense of being a part of a movement through history.

The other moment came near the end. The choir was singing “Better is Peace,” which included the phrase “Praise the Lord.” And I became aware that we had been praising the Lord all evening long, praising with the many names by which we call, praising in the many languages of the human family, praising the Lord in names that we have not yet even learned.

What brings these people together? What force can gather such a diverse and varied people from around the world? A shared sense of the world’s aching need for compassion, for justice, for acts of care and and commitment to human beings.

The years of history meet the horizon of future visions. And this is where we gather.